


Hot, Neglectful Lover

by bellabaekie



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, BaekYeol - Freeform, ChanBaek - Freeform, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Lawyer!Chanyeol, M/M, Not a lot though, Smut, collegeStudentBaek, five year age gap, handjob
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 14:52:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19466302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellabaekie/pseuds/bellabaekie
Summary: Chanyeol is so caught up trying to reach his goal, he doesn’t realize he’s been neglecting his boyfriend all along.





	Hot, Neglectful Lover

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is cross-posted on aff, under the same username!

It was almost midnight when Chanyeol walked into the apartment he shared with his boyfriend, tugging his shoes off and calling Baekhyun's name. He didn't get a response so he figured the other man was probably asleep considering the late hour. It wasn't until Chanyeol made his way into their bedroom that he began to get worried,  
“Baekhyun?” he called out, only silence replied. After checking the bathroom, he knew Baekhyun wasn't home.   
Chanyeol always came home after Baekhyun, well into the night, because he was a lawyer- a very good one- and work was hectic. Whereas Baekhyun was in his last year of College, so he was home more often than Chanyeol was. It was not always like that, but ever since Chanyeol had started working extra hours for a promotion, their schedules shifted. It’s been like this for a few months now, they convinced themselves it was normal, it was fine.   
Chanyeol frowned, Baekhyun wouldn't be out this late without telling Chanyeol where he'd be. Shuffling back into the bedroom, Chanyeol's heart dropped when he saw the closet doors flung open, how had he not noticed that before? He was already thinking the worst before he even moved closer to the closet. Did Baekhyun leave him? Was he finally tired of waiting for him every night? Did he finally realize that he was young and beautiful and could go and have fun with people his own age? Only when Chanyeol saw that all of Baekhyun's clothes were in the closet did he calm down (a bit), the latter probably just forgot to close the closet doors before leaving. Chanyeol sighed and went to get his phone from the nightstand to call his boyfriend.

Chanyeol probably left about 10 missed calls before he gave up, Baekhyun clearly wasn't going to pick up. Chanyeol was worried sick, it was nearing 1 am and he had no idea where his boyfriend was. This was just so unlike his boyfriend though, Baekhyun always texted him, constantly, throughout the day, about everything, even meaningless things like memes and pictures of puppies he would see on his way to college. Baekhyun always told him if he was going out, or if he was going to be late, that was their rule, updating each other during the day, because of how different their schedules were. And sure, Baekhyun was still in college, partying and staying out late was normal, but even then Chanyeol knew Baekhyun preferred staying home and playing games, never one to go out and party unless it was with a group of his closest friends.  
Chanyeol knew Baekhyun was an adult, despite their age difference, knew Baekhyun was mature and responsible, but he couldn't help feeling worried. He was also feeling dejected, lonely, like his only source of happiness wasn't home, greeting him after a long, hard day at work. It was unfair towards Baekhyun to feel like this, because he knew the latter spent hours everyday in the same position. Waking up alone and coming home to an empty house until Chanyeol finished work, but Chanyeol couldn't help but feel like he didn’t have the will to do anything anymore, until he saw Baekhyun, kissed him, made sure he was okay. He didn't even want to eat, didn't have the energy to get up and change. He felt stuck to the couch, phone in hand in case Baekhyun calls, lonely and worried and thinking about the places Baekhyun could be.

“He'll be here soon, I'm sure..” Chanyeol whispered to the darkness. 

He wasn't sure.

It was his own alarm that woke him up from his light, uncomfortable sleep. The vibrations startling him from his stiff position on the couch as he hurried to turn off the horrendous sound, throwing his phone onto the couch in frustration. He slouched back, head against the backrest, waiting for his heart to calm down. The events of last night coming back to him made him shoot up and search for his phone again, checking for a call, a text.. anything. Chanyeol growled when he realized that there was nothing. He tried calling again, but this time it didn't even ring. And just like that, Chanyeol's heart rate spiked up again, where was Baekhyun?? it was 7 am now, Baekhyun has never done this before, never stayed out this late, and if he was going to crash at someone else's house he would tell him. Even if Baekhyun was drunk, he would always call chanyeol and flirt with him through the phone like they hadn't been dating for two years now, it was his drinking habit.  
Chanyeol decided that standing in the living room staring at his phone and worrying wasn't going to solve anything. So after calling all of Baekhyun's close friends, who all had no idea where he was, he decided to shower and go to work. He was sure Baekhyun would see his texts and calls and reply as soon as he could. Maybe he had gotten drunk and passed out at someone's place, or maybe his phone died, he would eventually wake up and make his way home. Baekhyun wasn't a child. Chanyeol was just reassuring himself, but he had to do something otherwise he would go crazy.

It was after he showered and got dressed, as he was making his way out that his phone rang. Chanyeol had never answered a phone call faster in his life, heart racing,  
“Baekhyun?? where the hell are you?” Chanyeol almost shouted into the phone.  
“Chanyeol..” Baekhyun replied, voice deep from sleep but calm. “sorry, I was drunk last night and I must've left my phone on silent from my last lecture. Didn't hear your calls, sorry.” a yawn. There was some shuffling, like Baekhyun was getting up to get ready for the day, like it wasn’t 8 in the morning and he hadn't just spent the night god knows where while his boyfriend was at home worried sick about him, like there weren't 20+ missed calls on his phone, completely unbothered and totally fine. To say Chanyeol was angry was an understatement. He suddenly felt like a parent, like Baekhyun was his teenage kid who cared about nothing but partying, and boy did Chanyeol hate feeling like this. He knew there was a five year age gap between them, but it had always been fine because Baekhyun never behaved like this. Never disregarded him like this, like sending even just one text to let his boyfriend know where he is, wasn’t necessary. The anger and hurt Chanyeol was feeling was suddenly too much, because it felt like Baekhyun didn't even care about how worried Chanyeol was, didn't care about anything. It was disappointing considering how well they usually communicated with each other.  
He must've been silent for too long, just breathing into the phone, fist tightly wound, because Baekhyun continued talking,  
“were you-”  
“I need to go to work. We'll talk later Baekhyun.” Chanyeol cut Baekhyun off, voice curt to mask the hurt he was feeling. He ended the call without waiting for a reply and walked out of the door.

***

It was late, and Baekhyun was lounging in the living room playing video games. He was playing mindlessly, heart not into the game at all, he just needed something to occupy his hands before he went crazy. He had skipped classes and went home instead. He showered and tried to make something to eat, needing to keep his mind and body busy. Baekhyun had even cleaned a little and caught up on some studying, anything to take his mind off his tall boyfriend.   
Now, he was playing video games. Baekhyun was mentally and physically tired but he knew the minute he laid down he would start thinking about last night and this morning and his life decisions. So instead, he wasted time while waiting for the person that he has been trying now to thinking about. But it seems inevitable, because even as he's playing his mind still strays to Chanyeol. He misses his boyfriend more than anything. He's been missing him for the last few months now, despite them living together. Chanyeol was always busy with work, always tired when he comes home, especially during the last few months. Baekhyun hated feeling like this, he knew Chanyeol was just doing his best, it was work after all, what could he even do really.  
Baekhyun couldn't help the tear that slid down his cheeks, he misses Chanyeol, and he feels sorry about last night. The way he had purposely put his phone on silent, purposely ignored his phone calls, told his friends to tell Chanyeol they didn't know where he was if he called them. He felt like shit. Chanyeol didn't deserve it. Didn’t deserve the extra burden of worrying about trivial things on top of work, especially when there wasn’t a problem to begin with. But Baekhyun had been too embarrassed to tell his boyfriend the truth. His actions had been childish and now he was sitting here in only a hoodie (Chanyeol's) and underwear, crying.  
Tired from his partying last night, from crying and from the ache in his chest the minute he thought about Chanyeol (which had been every minute since the previous day), Baekhyun ended up falling asleep on the couch. Head not even on the cushion, and knees curled up, his game controller still in his hand and the game paused on the tv.

It was much, much later when Baekhyun woke up again. He had been dreaming of Chanyeol, laying next to him and stroking his soft hair, touch gentle. Like he always does when they are sleeping together. Like he hasn’t done in months because of their different schedules and the fact that when they are sleeping, they are just sleeping. Chanyeol was always gentle with him, and it reminded Baekhyun of cherry blossom petals, soft and delicate. so that’s what he dreamed about next until he opened his eyes slowly. The first thing Baekhyun came to was the sound of shuffling in the bedroom, and he immediately sat up. Disoriented and feeling a mild headache at the back of his head. He got up anyway and made his way towards the bedroom, stumbling a little. The door was half open and he watched with an aching heart as his exhausted boyfriend took off his watch and placed it on the nightstand next to his phone. The sudden surge of pent up emotions Baekhyun felt for the man knocked the breath out of him, and even though he wanted so desperately to run into Chanyeol's arms and cry some more, he felt like he couldn’t, like there was a barrier between them, like Chanyeol would not even want that. He steeled himself and walked into the room. Chanyeol noticed him as soon as he turned around and headed for the closet.  
“You're back..” Baekhyun whispered, voice cracking and weak from sleep. It took awhile for Chanyeol to reply, and the seconds that passed by caused the air around them to thicken, Baekhyun was slowly forgetting to breathe.  
“I am.” Chanyeol replied, voice just as quiet. Face calm but features hard with exhaustion and.. anger? Baekhyun couldn’t tell.   
He was taking off his suit jacket, slowly hanging it on a clothes hanger while Baekhyun was behind him, fiddling with the hem of his (Chanyeol's) hoodie. Baekhyun wasn't expecting this reaction from Chanyeol. He didn't understand why the latter was so calm and collected, like last night didn't happen. Baekhyun knew he was angry because he had heard it in Chanyeol's voice this morning. He had heard the concern and the fear and he had definitely heard the anger. So why wasn't Chanyeol saying anything?  
Nevertheless, Baekhyun walked closer to Chanyeol,  
“Chanyeol I'm..” a sigh left baekhyun's lips, “Don't you think we should talk about what happened?” the silence and the distance and the fact that Chanyeol wasn't even looking at Baekhyun was itching at him. A sudden fear was filling him, clogging up his throat. Did Chanyeol not care anymore? Because it's not like this is the first time they have a misunderstanding, but even during those times Chanyeol would still be attentive and caring. Ready to work whatever the problem was out. But now, he wasn't even sparing him a glance.  
He had to eventually though, after properly putting away his jacket and tie.  
“I'm tired Baekhyun. Let's talk later, yeah?” it wasn't even a question. Chanyeol was already walking past Baekhyun, grabbing his towel and making his way to the bathroom. Just like that.   
Baekhyun stood there, in the middle of their bedroom, mouth agape and eyes glassy. The ache in his chest had settled there, made a home right between his rib cage, heavy and constricting. He exhaled deeply, willing his tears away.   
It’s okay, he told himself.. we’ll talk later.

***   
They didn’t talk later. Nothing was resolved and the tension remained in the air, thickening the longer they spent time together. It’s not like they spent a lot of time together anyway, on top of their overlapping schedules, that tension was making it hard for them to stay around each other for too long. Suddenly it was as if the first person to bring it up would be the loser of whatever game their playing. Both stubborn, both hard-headed and both unknowingly hurting each other’s feelings. 

Chanyeol sighed and rubbed a palm over his eyes in an attempt to ward off his tiredness. His eyes were burning him, wanting nothing more than to stay shut for more than five hours. He could feel a headache coming on, the type that starts at the back of his tired eyes before spreading over his head. He was finally home, entering the pin code to the apartment he shared with his boyfriend.   
His boyfriend. The beautiful man that had felt like more than a stranger to him lately. Chanyeol’s jaw clenched, heart sinking in guilt as he remembered the look Baekhyun had given him a week prior, when he had dismissed him. How disheartened Baekhyun had been.  
He would probably be sleeping right now, like he usually was. Passed out on the couch where Chanyeol would find him, he would squat down beside him, stroke his hair gently and then carry him to the bedroom. Every time.

Chanyeol was surprised when he walked in to see Baekhyun awake. Sitting in the living room, on the floor, working on his laptop that was on the coffee table. The entire space was splayed with books and notes. 

“I’m home..” Chanyeol said, staring longingly at Baekhyun. 

“Hey.” Baekhyun responded, looking up at Chanyeol and smiling a little, wistful smile before turning back to his laptop.   
Chanyeol made his way into the living room and sat on the sofa, behind Baekhyun. His boyfriend was wearing shorts and oversized tee shirt, hair a fluffy, overgrown mess on his head. He looked soft and adorable with round glasses slipping over his nose. Chanyeol wasn’t really thinking when he reached out and pet Baskhyuns hair, startling the smaller man. Baekhyun settled though, and Chanyeol didn’t stop petting his hair. The latter looked over Baekhyun’s shoulder to see what he was working on. 

“Studying?” Chanyeol asked, fingers brushing Baekhyun’s chestnut strands. 

“Mhm” Baekhyun hummed, “finals are coming up..” he was unconsciously leaning into Chanyeol’s touch. 

“Ah..” Chanyeol acknowledged. Then they were engulfed in silence. Baekhyun wasn’t really focusing on studying anymore, hadn’t since he had heard Chanyeol coming in. Now Chanyeol’s hand was still in his hair. Baekhyun hated silence, especially this kind, the kind that reminded him why it was silent.   
Just like that, the awkwardness came back, and it was horrible. So unlike them to be quiet and uncomfortable in each other’s presence, neither knowing what to say and both ignoring what needed to be said. 

“Have you eaten?” Baekhyun asked, clearing his throat, he moved forward towards his laptop, Chanyeol’s hand slipping from his hair. Chanyeol sighed and got up.   
“Yes I have.” He replied, walking towards their bedroom to change. 

And for the following week, that would be the extent of their conversations whenever they saw each other, if they saw each other. 

*** 

“Do you think it’s our fault?” Baekhyun wondered. 

“Of course!” Jongdae snorted. Shaking his head before abruptly stopping when he saw Baekhyun’s glare. “Sorry baek, what do you mean?” 

Baekhyun sighed, “maybe we rushed into things, maybe if we weren’t living together we’d miss each other more and that would prompt us to make more of an effort to see each other?” He looked up at his best friend with wide, nervous eyes. 

“Baekhyun, no, it’s not like the issue is you being bored of each other. You just need to talk it out because there clearly more to this than just a little misunderstanding.” Jongdae said, taking a sip of his iced coffee. “You can’t just say nothing and expect time to resolve your problems. It doesn’t work like that.”  
They were in their campus cafeteria, taking a coffee break form the group project they had been working on all afternoon. Jongdae had asked Baekhyun how things were with Chanyeol, and that’s how they had started discussing Baekhyun’s love life. 

“I tried talking to him! But he just brushed me off! Like I wasn’t worth his time.. or something..” Baekhyun trailed off, voice reduced to a whisper in his hurt. His eyebrows drawn together in an adorable confused frown. He looked so sad, and Jongdae couldn’t help clenching his fists on the table. 

“Gonna kill that fucker!” He shouted, fist slamming on the table and causing Baekhyun to flinch out of his heartbroken reverie, staring up at his best friend with wide eyes. “No one is allowed to make you sad, I shall make that asshole suffer.” Jongdae was brought out of his angry bubble when he heard Baekhyun’s giggle. 

“Aw dae, are you angry for me?” Baekhyun cooed, holding Jongdae’s fist in both hands and swaying them cutely, mockingly. Jongdae glared at him and pulled his hand back.

“Shut up!”

Baekhyun’s giggles tinkled in the warm cafe. 

***   
Warm, soft sheets under his cheeks and the last rays of sunset streaming in through the half open curtains.. Baekhyun was laying wide awake, staring emptily at the wall. The sun was setting and the room was a lot darker than it was when he had first walked in an hour ago. He had finished his classes and grabbed food with Jongdae and Minseok, before walking home. He was greeted with an empty apartment, quiet and lonely. It was not something new but sometimes he shrugged it off and told himself it was okay. Other times -like today- it was harder to ignore.   
Baekhyun felt like crying and lashing out but at the same time he just wanted to sit still, do nothing and hope for the ground to swallow him up. Which is what he ended up doing. He had not even changed. He forced himself not to think about anything at all. Because if he let his mind wonder, it would wander off to Chanyeol, and the second that happened he knew he would start sobbing straight away.   
He missed Chanyeol so much, it hurt. And it didn’t help that he had been feeling like this for months.  
Holding back and swallowing so much emotions was never good though, the huge lump in his throat, constricting his breathing, was evidence of that.   
Physically tired from his day, and emotionally exhausted he drifted to sleep eventually. An uncomfortable sleep where he felt lonely and cold in the chilly spring evening.

Chanyeol found his boyfriend in the bedroom this time, in the middle of the bed, feet dangling off the edge. The room, and entire apartment, dark. His heart ached at the sight of Baekhyun looking so small, all curled up on himself from the cold. His boyfriend looked tired, and Chanyeol hated himself for not knowing why. He didn’t know what was going on in Baekhyun’s life other than his finals were coming up because they barely saw each other, barely talked. 

Just one more month. He told himself. One more month and I’ll get that promotion, and then I can be with you all the time. 

Something rough but gentle was stroking his cheek. He whined, curling further into himself. The soft caress continued.   
Ah, cherry blossoms. 

A low, deep voice.

No, cherry blossoms aren’t rough. 

“Baekhyun-ah..” the low voice whispered.   
Despite the gentleness, Baekhyun still jerked awake. Eyes snapping open and body jolting back. He was breathing hard, mind in disarray, “shh, baby, it’s okay..” Chanyeol rushed to calm him down, petting his hair. Baekhyun blinked up at him and took deep breaths to stop his beating heart, he blushed a little at his reaction. “It’s just me.” Chanyeol whispered, now sitting at the edge of the bed, gazing down softly at his adorable boyfriend, smiling when he saw him blushing and still dazed from waking up suddenly.   
“Did you just get back?” Baekhyun asked in a quiet voice after a few minutes passed. Chanyeol hummed and moved one of his hands to Baekhyun’s waist, stroking over his sides. He hadn’t really thought about it, and it was surprising and bold considering they haven’t had much intimacy, if at all, for a long while now. Baekhyun didn’t seem to mind though. and it was like they were in their own little bubble, frozen in time. All of their worries disappearing and leaving them. Just them.   
“I’m sorry I woke you up, I just wanted to tell you to sleep properly though.” Baekhyun continued to blink up at him, but this time it was from confusion. He was in bed already. When Chanyeol chuckled and looked Baekhyun up and down, the latter following his gaze, he realized that he hadn’t even changed his clothes. It was only then that Baekhyun remembered just how he had fallen asleep. He had not eaten, had not changed his clothes.. and, “fuck, I need to work on the project!”. 

***   
The next day, Chanyeol was surprisingly early. Early asin, he was home by 7 in the evening rather than midnight.   
He hears the shower running when he walks in so he changes into sweatpants and a tank top and lounges on the sofa, waiting for Baekhyun to get out so he can greet him. It was time for dinner so they should eat together.   
The shower has long stopped running but Baekhyun still had not made an appearance. Chanyeol wondered if the former had decided to just stay in the bedroom. Otherwise, why would he still be in there? Baekhyun’s nonchalant greeting answers him,   
“Oh.. you’re back early.” He walks into the living room, fumbling with his watch and adjusting it around his wrist. Chanyeol forgets to speak for a couple of minutes, busy staring at how handsome his boyfriend looked. Clad in a tight pair of black skinny jeans that had subtle rips at the knee, and a gorgeous blue satin shirt that had one too many buttons open. Baekhyun’s beautiful milky neck and a hint of collarbones on display, adorned with black necklaces.   
Fuck. Thought Chanyeol.   
How was it possible for someone to look this good and be real, while also being his boyfriend. It took awhile for Chanyeol to actually look into Baekhyun’s eyes, too busy checking him out, and when he does he finds his boyfriend leaning against the kitchen counter, eyebrow raised. The definition of sin. 

“Where are you going?” Chanyeol questions, standing up. His features set in a frown, eyes preying on the Baekhyun. He didn’t look happy.   
Baekhyun loved Chanyeol’s smile, truly. But damn if frowns didn’t look sexy on Chanyeol too.   
Baekhyun rolled his eyes and moved away from the counter, searching for the rest of his belongings.   
“Out.” Baekhyun replied, head turning left and right looking for his phone.  
“Out where?” Chanyeol sounded possessive, and impatient, especially with how unbothered Baekhyun was. Chanyeol hates being ignored. It took even longer for Baekhyun to reply, and it was definitely on purpose.  
“Oh, just.. clubbing.” He taunted. Baekhyun knew the effect he had on Chanyeol and however childish, this was his payback for when Chanyeol had dismissed him a few weeks ago. He hadn’t really thought about just how much he was effecting Chanyeol though. Because as he passed by the kitchen counter, his boyfriend suddenly took his wrist and turned him roughly around to face him before wrapping his arms around Baekhyun’s waist and hauling him onto the counter. Baekhyun had gasped, arms flailing. The next thing he knew Chanyeol was crashing his lips against his.   
Baekhyun whimpered at the rough kiss, fighting against Chanyeol when the latter tried spreading his legs so he could fit between them and get closer. Baekhyun didn’t know why he was trying to push Chanyeol away, he had wanted this for so long. While it was true he was going out, he did put in extra effort when he realized Chanyeol was home, opened an extra button, switched to ripped jeans and wore subtle eyeliner instead of just concealer. Baekhyun was definitely expecting a reaction.  
He couldn’t resist for long though, because Chanyeol played dirty. Chanyeol was swiping his tongue against Baskhyuns lips, wanting access so they could kiss properly. When Baekhyun didn’t let up, only curling his fists into Chanyeol's tank top and trying to push him away, Chanyeol pinched him. It wasn’t painful, just surprising enough to have him gasping into the kiss, Chanyeol using the opportunity to lick into him. They both moaned when their tongues got in contact, Chanyeol shoving Baekhyun’s knees apart harshly, taking a hold of Baekhyun’s waist in a hard grip, wanting to get closer, wanting as much of Baekhyun as he could get.   
Baekhyun surrendered and wrapped his arms around Chanyeol’s neck, kissing him back. He whined when Chanyeol sucked on his tongue, pulling back to breathe. Chanyeol only let him for two seconds before angling his head back into a punishing kiss. He bit his lip, Baekhyun’s whimpers going straight to his cock. Baekhyun threw his head back and moaned when Chanyeol started palming him. The pressure from his tight jeans was annoying but the heat of Chanyeol’s hand had him whining, hips unconsciously jerking.   
“Fuck, baby, you look sinful..” Chanyeol groaned, voice even lower, rough around the edges. Baekhyun lost it when Chanyeol started sucking hickies into his neck, he tugged at Chanyeol’s hair.   
“Ch-Chan-nghh!” He moaned, hips stuttering against Chanyeol's palm, he didn’t know whether to move away from the pleasure to get rid of the tight pants or continue chasing that heat. Chanyeol wasn’t letting him think, too busy licking at his collarbones. “Ahh! Chanyeol- please!” He whined.   
Chanyeol seemed to take pity on him, stopping his hand and opening the button of Baekhyun’s jeans, pulling down the zipper before taking his cock out. Baekhyun let out the loudest moan yet, gasping wetly when Chanyeol wrapped his hand around his length. The fucker didn’t even bother to take his jeans off.   
“Look at you baby, you’re pretty cock is leaking so much.” Chanyeol teased, slowly stroking Baekhyun’s wet cock. Baekhyun’s red cheeks flushed even more, his pupils were dilated and his lips were swollen and pink.   
“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun whined, embarrassed and completely turned on. Chanyeol smirked and squeezed Baekhyun’s beautiful thick thighs, still constricted in those jeans. “Please..” Baekhyun whispered, wrecked. The look on Baekhyun’s face had so much control over Chanyeol that he didn’t think twice before stroking him faster, teasingly swiping his thumb over the tip once before continuing to rub the rest of his length.   
“Did you really think I’d let you leave the house looking this sexy?” Chanyeol’s hand only went faster, encouraged by Baekhyun’s now unrestrained moans. He wasn’t even paying attention to what Chanyeol was saying, at this point. Chanyeol held Baekhyun’s hips in place with one hand when Baskhyun didn’t stop squirming, and then went right back to creating more red marks on Baekhyun’s exposed chest.   
Baekhyun knew he wouldn’t last long. He curled his hands around Chanyeol’s biceps, digging his nails into the skin.   
“Ah! I’m-“ he whined when Chanyeol started rubbing his thumb in circles around the tip of his cock. He couldn’t go anywhere -not that he wanted to- he was trapped between the counter and Chanyeol’s body, couldn’t move his hips, forced to take the intense pleasure Chanyeol was giving him. “I’m close!” He wailed.   
“Come for me, baby.” Chanyeol admired how wrecked his boyfriend was from a handjob alone, loved how sensitive Baekhyun was, and how he had reduced him to this state. Baekhyun’s nails scratched down Chanyeol’s arms when his orgasm hit him, prolonged because Chanyeol didn’t let go until Baekhyun was whining and pushing his hand away.   
Baekhyun was panting, taking in the fact that his cum wasn’t just on Chanyeol’s hand, but it had stained his jeans and his shirt too. He was in complete disarray. Hair a mess and shirt falling over one shoulder, multiple marks on display.   
“Oh..” Chanyeol feigned concern. “Looks like you won’t be going out then.” He raises his eyebrows. Baekhyun was two seconds away from slapping the smirk off Chanyeol’s face until he looked down at the tent in Chanyeol’s sweatpants and smirked. He shoved Chanyeol away and slid down the counter,   
“I would help you with that, but I have to go change into something else.” Baekhyun smiled a sweet and utterly fake smile before walking away, stripping out of his shirt teasingly as he went. Chanyeol groaned and stomped his feet like a child.   
Chanyeol was sitting back on the sofa when Baekhyun came out of the bedroom again, arms folded and frowning. He just got blue balled, and he deserved it.   
It’s not like he didn’t trust Baekhyun, but he couldn’t help feeling jealous that other people would be seeing and spending time with him, especially when he looked so beautiful. He knew it was wrong to tell Baekhyun what to do though, especially when it came to how he wanted to dress.   
It didn’t matter anyway, Baekhyun looked good in virtually anything.   
Baekhyun did take pity on Chanyeol though, especially with how he looked more like a sulking child than a lawyer who was five years older than him. So he sighed and made his way towards Chanyeol, snorting when Chanyeol looked away.   
Baekhyun stood between his legs and held his face in his palms.   
“I’m not going clubbing, I’m hanging out with the guys at Jongdae’s place.” Baekhyun gently stroked his sulking boyfriend’s cheeks, “I won’t be long okay?” He whispered fondly. Chanyeol’s eyes had softened too, and then he nodded in reply, taking Baekhyun’s palm and kissing it softly. 

Baekhyun blushed like that same hand wasn’t wrapped around his dick ten minutes ago. 

***  
Baekhyun was in a good mood. He had not talked to Chanyeol about his worries and insecurities and how much he missed him, but he felt like things were looking up, considering the events of the past couple of days. It was the little things, like Chanyeol carrying him over to the bedroom when he passes out on the sofa, every single day. Like when he woke him up the other day and made him food before telling him to sleep properly. Like the way he had touched him two days ago after seeing him dressed up, reminding Baekhyun that he definitely wasn’t bored of him anymore.   
They were still avoiding the elephant in the room though, talking around the subject. Still Baekhyun had hope that their relationship could be salvaged.   
That hope slowly died down in the week that followed. With his end of year projects catching up to him on top of studying for finals, the stress was in full force. He spent his time in and out of college, his laptop with him wherever he went. He was coming home later than usual, staying at the library to study or in a cafe working on the group project with his partners. A lot of weight was riding on that group project and every mark mattered because this was his final year. But despite him coming home late, he still came back to an empty apartment. He still ate alone, studied alone and then slept, in the living room, alone. Chanyeol would come and go with Baekhyun asleep or half-conscious, and when they meet, both are tired, stressed and hurt. Chanyeol sees the way Baekhyun acts around him, increasingly nonchalant, dismissive, only speaking when spoken to. Chanyeol knows why but he also doesn’t really get it. Baekhyun should understand that it’s just work and he can’t help it. He doesn’t consider asking Baekhyun why, just tells himself that in a month he’ll get that promotion and they’ll be fine.   
And Baekhyun, Baekhyun is an emotionally dependent person, he craves attention, love and affection from the people he cares about. With the rest of his life so stressful, he needs to come home to cuddles, late night talks, dates on the weekend and sex. Just like anyone does. He needs a relief. Needs the comfort of home that means being in the arms of the person you love and having their undivided attention for a few hours. To have someone to talk with, vent to, an escape from the tiring life outside of home. And with his only source of comfort so emotionally distant, it’s just been stress and tension and anxiety for months now. With no reprieve.   
With Chanyeol, perhaps the knowledge of one month and being so busy was keeping him going. But Baekhyun, he was slowly breaking down, and neither of them really knew it. 

Baekhyun was a diligent student. He cared about his grades and he always worked hard. He knew that the higher average he had at the end of college the more opportunities he would have. Hard work always pays off, after all. And when it was on his own he had total control and he could sit and study as best he could. But when it was a group project, it was a group effort, and Baekhyun only controlled the part he was responsible for. Unfortunately, not everyone thought like that, most students were satisfied with passing only. He still worked hard, helped his partners and made sure everyone would be finished on time. 

Yet, Monday night, the night they were supposed to send in their reports to brief the professor of the subject of the seminar they would be doing, it all went to hell. 

It was just before midnight and Chanyeol had walked in on Baekhyun finishing up his report. After changing and showering he walked back in to find Baekhyun in the same position. Glasses cutely sliding down his nose, brows furrowed in concentration. He only came back to grab a glass of water and head to bed. Standing behind the bar in the open kitchen, he watched as Baekhyun’s phone rang. 

“What’s up, Dae?” Baekhyun greeted, fingers still typing. He was silent for a few seconds before humming, “sure send the material over, there’s not much time left.. yup.. well Mark’s already sent his part. Still waiting on Yoona’s though.” Chanyeol had finished his drink by then and was about to walk out when he saw Baekhyun’s fingers seize and his face freeze,   
“What?!” Baekhyun shouted, eyes wild. “What do you mean she hasn’t done anything?? There’s ten minutes to the deadline?!” It was concerning how quick Baekhyun’s chest was rising and falling compared to how calm he was when Chanyeol first walked in. Baekhyun took his glasses off and rubbed his temples, sighing in exhaustion. “I don’t fucking care Jongdae, do you even know how much is riding on this?? I can’t fucking believe this.” Baekhyun didn’t wait for anything else to be said, just ended the call. He could feel the tears coming up because it was suddenly all too much. This was the easy stuff, the things he could easily get marks on so when he fucked up in the finals it hopefully wouldn’t make much difference because he would’ve gathered enough from the rest of the course anyway. And yet, he was already losing them. Nevermind the fact that his midterms weren’t good enough lately, because he spent every hour missing his boyfriend, spent his lectures thinking about every stupid, awkward conversation he’d had with Chanyeol lately. Now this. 

Maybe it wasn’t that serious. But Baekhyun was past the point of rational thinking, he slammed his laptop shut and hurried to the bedroom, he definitely didn’t want Chanyeol to see him cry. But the tears were so quick to fall, and he just needed to get out. Just needed to get to the bedroom and shut the door and stay there forever to cry. 

Perhaps it wasn’t that serious, but to Baekhyun, in that moment it felt like everything was falling apart. His relationship with his boyfriend, his future, his life. He felt helpless and so very tired. 

Chanyeol so the frustration in Baekhyun’s eyes as well as he saw the tears. He saw the amount of distress in his boyfriend’s body language and he tried running after Baekhyun. 

“Baekhyun!” He called out, “baek!”   
Baekhyun slammed the bedroom door in his face. He didn’t lock it though. Chanyeol stood there for two seconds before walking in. Baekhyun’s back was facing him, but he could see the trembling shoulders and he could definitely hear the sniffles.  
“Hey baby,” he called out softly, nearing Baekhyun.   
“Get out, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun’s voice was surprisingly hard. He was wiping away at his tears, even though they kept falling.   
“Baek, come on, talk to me.” Chanyeol stopped in his tracks when Baekhyun suddenly whirled around, eyes wild in anger, cheeks wet.   
“Talk?? Now you wanna fucking talk?” A pitiful sniffle. Chanyeol’s eyes widened in shock. “Where were you a month ago when I wanted to talk, huh?” Baekhyun’s voice cracked, more tears spilling over. It was too much, all the emotions he’d swallowed up were rising to the surface. He was angry and hurt and upset, with nowhere to turn to. And he hated so much, how even at that moment, he still wanted to be in Chanyeol’s arms. That realization only fueled his anger though, “or do we only talk when you feel like it now?”   
Every hurtful word Baekhyun said to Chanyeol made the latter’s heart ache. It hurt to know that he was partly the reason that had reduced Baekhyun to this. The tears in Baekhyun’s eyes were breaking his heart, and he was dying to reach out and hold his boyfriend, but how do you comfort a person who is upset at you? Mad at you?   
“Baekhyun I’m-“   
“No. You’re the last person I want to talk to Chanyeol.” He left no place for argument, still Chanyeol reached out for his hand,   
“Baek-“ He called out, voice small, hurt. Baekhyun yanked his hand back as if burned.   
“Get out.” He whispered. Baekhyun could see the guilt in Chanyeol's eyes, could see the remorse and the concern. Chanyeol looked like a puppy, frankly, eyes wide and glassy. He was pouting, and Baekhyun would’ve fallen for it, any other day. But not today. Chanyeol didn’t try to say anything, just nodded and walked out of the bedroom, gently closing the door behind him. Baekhyun deserved some space. 

The last thing he heard was a muffled sob. 

***   
Chanyeol slept on the sofa that night, not wanting to disturb Baekhyun. He didn’t sleep well and five hours later, he got up to get ready for work. Baekhyun was still sleeping when he walked into the bedroom. After showering and getting dressed, he sat at the edge of the bed and looked down at Baekhyun. His hands immediately reached out to brush Baekhyun’s hair back, gently. Poor baby must have cried himself to sleep judging by the tear tracks on his beautiful pale cheeks, slightly flushed from sleep. His cheeks looked sunken lately.   
Was Baekhyun eating well? Chanyeol’s chest twinged and he inhaled deeply, because he didn’t know. He hardly knew anything about him. Chanyeol blinked his eyes rapidly, caressing Baekhyun’s check with his thumb one last time before getting up and heading out.   
Chanyeol spent the journey to work thinking about his decisions and just how he had let their relationship reach this level. He had been neglecting Baekhyun. His beautiful, hurt boyfriend who had tried to gain his attention multiple times. Chanyeol spent the entire time thinking about Baekhyun, if he had woken up, if he was okay. He spent the entire time worrying about Baekhyun and reprimanding himself.   
When it was 8am, he picked up his phone to call Baekhyun. The latter had most likely cried himself to sleep, without setting an alarm and probably with no intention of even going in to university. But Chanyeol knew how important college was to Baekhyun, so he called.   
It took awhile, but he was surprised that Baekhyun picked up,   
“Hello?” He croaked, clearly just woken up.   
“Baekhyun-ah,” Chanyeol spoke gently, waiting.   
“Chanyeol?” Said man’s heart was about to combust with emotion. How was it that Baekhyun even sounded cute, on the phone? Clearly disoriented and confused.   
Chanyeol took a deep breath.   
“Hi baby,” He continues, voice even softer. Only silence replied. “You need to get up now, darling. Get ready for college, okay?” He heard the rustling of sheets and a deep sigh.   
“I’m not going Chanyeol.” Baekhyun whined, voice hardening. It seemed like he had remembered everything.   
“No Baek, you should go.. everything’s gonna be okay I promise. Maybe try talking to the professor? Hmm?” If it was possible, Chanyeol’s heart broke even more when he heard a sniffle followed by,   
“But I’m so tired Chanyeol..” with Baekhyun’s voice sounding so broken, Chanyeol almost threw the phone aside and ran to him. But they both had places to be, so he clenched his fist and carried on.   
“I know baby, I know. But it’s better to go than to make things worse.” It was silent for awhile, and Chanyeol knew Baekhyun was thinking about it.   
“Fine,” Baekhyun sighed, and then, “I’m still mad at you though” Chanyeol’s smile was bittersweet. 

“You have every right to be.” 

*** 

It was not new for Chanyeol to think about Baekhyun while he was at work. His mind would always drift to his boyfriend, and he would wonder what the smaller was up to. And where, in the past, he would pick up his phone and text Baekhyun, lately, he would just shake his head and get back to work. After his phone call with his boyfriend a few hours ago, he started wondering why he had stopped doing that. When exactly did he stop checking in on Baekhyun, because it’s not like he ever stopped thinking about him. But it’s like when he did stop, after that it felt wrong and awkward to just go back to texting. So then he would shrug it off, as soon as he got his promotion they would be back, right? 

On the subject of promotion, Chanyeol has never worked harder for something in his life. The promotion meant more flexible working hours, it meant a heftier paycheck and best of all, he would be able to pick his own cases to work on. Which is always welcome. But it’s not like he wouldn’t get there eventually. Still, Chanyeol wanted it, it would be worth all the time he spent working extra hours, and Chanyeol has always been a competitive soul. Always working towards his goals. And he was so close, he had not missed a day of work, had worked diligently for months, had missed meals.. had stopped paying attention to his boyfriend.   
But it’s okay, because he was almost there.. right?

So why, then, was he standing outside of Baekhyun’s lecture hall, a coffee in each hand, at 3pm. 3 hours before his official work day ended? 

Baekhyun was shocked to find him there, obvious by the way he stopped all of a sudden, causing a classmate to bump into him and start grumbling. Chanyeol looked handsome, sleeves of his shirt rolled up, no tie or blazer, leaning against the wall, smiling sheepishly as soon as he caught sight of Baekhyun. The latter started walking slowly towards his tall, handsome boyfriend, looking left and right and somehow nervous. 

“This is for you.” Chanyeol handed him his drink the second Baekhyun came to a stop in front of him. Baekhyun took it and then looked back up at Chanyeol, stunned.   
“Yeol..” he trailed off, looking down again at the iced coffee, looking around before blinking up at Chanyeol. “What are you doing here?” He asked, bewildered.   
Chanyeol just smiled and shrugged,  
“I came to pick you up, if you’re done for the day,” Baekhyun opened his mouth to say something but Chanyeol continued. “-I’ll wait! If you still have something to do. I mean.. I checked your schedule and I know you don’t have any other lectures, which is why I came, but if you need to be somewhere.. I can wait for you. Or maybe-“ He was cut off himself by Baekhyun’s giggles. His nose scrunched and eyes sparkling in endearment.   
“You’re rambling, Chanyeol.” He teased, a handsome smirk on his lips, eyes still fond. Chanyeol, too, started laughing. But more so because he felt like he could relax a bit, seeing as Baekhyun was not completely mad at him anymore, not as much as last night anyway.   
“Sorry.” He whispered, scratching the back of his head. And he looked so cute and nervous, like they only started dating a few days ago, rather than two years ago, it was doing things to Baekhyun.   
Baekhyun tried to remind himself he was still angry at Chanyeol, still hurt. But he couldn’t bring himself to turn Chanyeol away. How could he? When his boyfriend looked so handsome and nervous standing here, underneath the spring sun, at his college.. ready to pick him up. Baekhyun suddenly didn’t feel like Chanyeol was five years younger. Like Chanyeol was with him, in college.. his college boyfriend. Baekhyun smiled.   
“I’m done for the day.” He said, taking a sip from his coffee and staring expectantly at his boyfriend.   
“Great!” Chanyeol said, surprising Baekhyun by taking his hand and pulling him along. Baekhyun’s eyes widened, and he looked around to see if anyone was looking. But then he looked up at Chanyeol and exhaled, shoulders relaxing when the latter squeezed his hand comfortingly. It’s okay. 

They walked in silence, and Baekhyun didn’t ask where they were going, he didn’t really care.. as long as Chanyeol was with him.   
“Thank you, by the way.” Baekhyun shyly thanked, looking down at his feet.   
“For what?” Chanyeol was confused. Baekhyun looked up at him and gave him a deadpan look.   
“For making me go into uni today, but mostly for last night.” When Chanyeol just stared at him in puzzlement, Baekhyun rolled his eyes, tugging at their interlaced hands. “Jongdae told me, so you can stop acting like you had nothing to do with it.”   
When Jongdae had called Baekhyun to meet up after his first lecture, he was surprised to find his entire project group waiting in the cafe. At first, Jongdae didn’t tell him where he had gotten Baekhyun’s part of the group project, but somehow he had.. and they were all working together to get the rest finished. Apparently Jongdae had spoken to their professor and the latter had allowed an extension for them to hand in their report. But it sounded shady. Why would the professor allow such a thing when she had been strict about no extensions right from the beginning? And where did Jongdae get Baekhyun’s part of the work? It took a while but Jongdae eventually spilled that Chanyeol had called him, and they had discussed ways to solve the problem. He was the one that had sent Baekhyun’s work over and Jongdae had stayed up to put it all together. Chanyeol had also asked for the professor’s email or work phone from Jongdae. He had called her in the morning on his way to work, explaining the situation and even though he had exaggerated, the professor had appreciated the honesty and agreed to give them a one day extension. She had also informed the rest of the class, to make sure all was fair.   
Baekhyun had been shocked. All of that had happened while he was asleep. He had been surprised as it was from Chanyeol's phone call alone, when he heard everything else, he sat down and stared into space. He felt warm inside, knowing that Chanyeol cared. That Chanyeol didn’t ignore how important the situation was to him, that he had stayed up and did all he could to help despite the fact that Baekhyun has said some pretty hurtful things to him.   
Now here he was, holding his hands as they walked, pretending like he had nothing to do with it.   
“I didn’t want you to think I did it as some kind of apology, I would’ve done this for you in any situation.” Chanyeol said, before quickly adding, “not that I’m not sorry, they’re just two separate things.” Baekhyun nodded his head.   
“I know, that’s why I appreciate it.” Baekhyun whispered. Baekhyun had walked into college this morning, sad and depressed and wanting to be anywhere but in college. Now he was walking out, hand in hand with the love of his life, the man that had taken a huge burden off his shoulders.   
“It was all you though,” Chanyeol smiled, proud. He continued when Baekhyun only hummed in question. “When the professor heard it was you, she immediately agreed. She knows you’re a good student, Baek, so she was willing to help you out.”   
“Oh.” Baekhyun smiled, he made a mental note to thank professor Kim the next day.   
“Your hard work will always pay off, Baekhyun-ah.”   
Baekhyun looked up at Chanyeol and grinned, thankful. He heart was half-relieved. While the past couple of months had been tough, relationship-wise, Baekhyun knew Chanyeol still cared. But there were still a lot of things left unsaid. Even in that moment. After a few minutes of silence, Chanyeol spoke again. 

“I parked my car at a distance from your campus,” he informed, looking down at his boyfriend and finding him frowning, lost in thought. “..I thought maybe we could walk for a bit..” he trailed off, glancing at Baekhyun again. He was starting to get nervous when Baekhyun didn’t acknowledge him. “You don’t mind, right?” 

“Why are you here, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun stopped. He stared up at his boyfriend, waiting for an answer.   
“Hmm?” Chanyeol questioned, taken aback by the sudden shift in the mood.   
“Why aren’t you at work?” Baekhyun frowned. He raised his eyebrows when Chanyeol only stared back at him. After a few seconds, Chanyeol reached for Baekhyun’s Hand again and pulled him along. He looked ahead, eyebrows creasing as he thought about what to say, where to begin. Baekhyun gave him time and they continued their stroll.   
“It’s a long story, Baek.” Chanyeol sighed. They had reached the car, parked on the side of the road. Baekhyun got into the passenger seat and waited for Chanyeol to start the car.   
“I have all day, Yeol.” Baekhyun replied, before turning to face Chanyeol. He searched his eyes for something, he turned away when all he saw was guilt.

It didn’t seem like the car was the right place to talk about anything, so they made small talk instead, It wasn’t a long drive anyway.   
At home, they both got changed and then settled on the sofa. Baekhyun had made them both some tea so they could talk.   
“Are you okay?” Baekhyun began, seeing as Chanyeol was having trouble talking. Chanyeol took Baekhyun’s hand into his lap and started laying with his pretty fingers.  
“I’m fine.. “ he trailed, “I made a mistake at work, the case I’m working on, I was told not to investigate anything by the higher ups, but the man was innocent, Baek. I-I knew I shouldn’t have, my promotion is only a month away. But I couldn’t let them just frame the man.. so I did investigate further.” Chanyeol was staring down at their hands, frowning. Baekhyun was stunned into silence.. had Chanyeol lost his job? “When my boss found out, he went crazy. He removed me from the case. One mistake and he had dropped me, just like that. He hadn’t taken into consideration the amount of work I’d done these past months. I’m one of the best lawyers they have and yet.. one mistake, and he does this.”   
“Are you fired?” Baekhyun asked, voice small.   
“No.” Chanyeol scoffed, “they need me too much for that, I just won't be getting promoted any time soon.” Baekhyun exhaled in relief, shaking his head.   
“That’s really fucked up! You don’t deserve that Chanyeol. They should be applauding you for what you did, it’s your job to defend and protect the innocent. And you’ve worked so hard!” Baekhyun grumbled. It was ridiculous that someone as diligent as Chanyeol would get treated that way, for doing his job right. Chanyeol opened Baekhyun’s hands that had fisted in anger, stroking his knuckles. That still didn’t answer Baekhyun’s question though.   
“Wait, but if you weren’t fired, what made you come to pick me up?” Baekhyun wondered. Staring up confusedly and Chanyeol.   
“When my boss was screaming at me, all I could think about was you. My brain just zoned him out, I wasn’t even surprised. All I wanted was to see you. So I left.” Chanyeol shrugged. Baekhyun states wide-eyed at his boyfriend, bewildered.   
“B-but aren’t you not allowed to leave unless it’s work related?” Chanyeol smirked.   
“I told you Baek, they need me too much to fire me.”   
Baekhyun only shook his head and snorted.   
“But you’ve worked so hard for the promotion. You must be mad about that” Baekhyun whispered, looking down at his hand in Chanyeol’s warm palm. Chanyeol hummed. It took awhile for him to say something.   
“I’m more mad about the time that I lost trying to get the promotion.”   
“What?” Baekhyun breathed. Looking up at Chanyeol, taking in his resolute eyes.   
“Even if I had gotten it,” Chanyeol reaches for Baekhyun’s cheek and strokes the soft skin beneath his thumb. “It wouldn’t have been worth the time I lost with you, or the amount of hurt I caused you. I missed you so much Baekhyun-“ Baekhyun’s eyes had begun to rapidly well up and he made to get away from Chanyeol, not expecting this at all. But Chanyeol was firm, taking a hold of his waist and pulling him into his lap. Baekhyun gasped and tried to push off, but who was he kidding. With Chanyeol's arms wrapped around his waist, he had nowhere to go. “I knew I’d been hurting you but I kept making up excuses, and I was so focused on the fact that we’d be together properly once I got the stupid promotion, I didn’t realize that by the time I did.. I may not even have you by my side anymore.” Baekhyun’s tears have started spilling over now, Chanyeol chasing each one away with a swipe of his thumb. His heart was racing, the gravity of just where they had gotten with their relationship because they chose to talk about the issues now instead of two months ago, sinking in. The fact that they hadn’t had a conversation as long as this in months despite living under the same roof, overwhelming. Baekhyun just missed Chanyeol so much, it hurt.   
“I’m sorry Baekhyun, for neglecting you, for hurting you.. you deserve so much better.” Chanyeol’s voice cracked. How could he not when he had a lapful of a sad, crying Baekhyun.   
Baekhyun shook his head at Chanyeol’s words. “You do Baek, that day when you stayed out all night, I thought you’d left me..” Chanyeol trailed off, his own eyes tearful. Baekhyun gasped. “and what was worse, I almost couldn’t find a reason to blame you if you had. You’re young and so beautiful, you could get someone so-“   
“Shut up!” Baekhyun cried, fisting Chanyeol’s shirt. He couldn’t believe what Chanyeol was saying. All this time he had thought Chanyeol hadn’t cared where he had been that night, had dismissed him because he had better things to do. To think he had been just as insecure as Baekhyun the entire time. “Just shut up! I don’t want to be with anyone but you!” Chanyeol just looked at him, tears strolling down his cheeks, “You..” Baekhyun trailed. “You idiot! All this time I was just trying to get your attention! I wasn’t even drunk that night! And I knew you were calling me, but I never picked up.” It was Chanyeol’s turn to gasp now.   
“What?” He whispered. Baekhyun swallowed and sighed, suddenly embarrassed. He fidgeted with the buttons on Chanyeol's shirt, avoiding his eyes.  
“I.. I was too embarrassed to tell you, especially when you ignored everything. It was stupid and wrong but I didn’t want to be the one standing in the way of your work.” Baekhyun sniffled. “I just missed you so much, I’m sorry-“ Baekhyun couldn’t help but sob when Chanyeol only grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his head down into a hug.   
“Aw, baby, I’m so sorry.” How was he not supposed to cry, buried in Chanyoel’s arms, faces tucked into his neck?   
They spent the evening like that, crying into each other’s arms, constantly apologizing to each other. They told one another of the insecurities that had flooded their minds over the past weeks, how they never wanted to go through something like that again. And so they promised to always communicate their issues, to never keep anything a secret. Because if they had had the same conversation months ago, they would have saved so much heartache.   
They were exhausted from crying and from the events of the past couple of days, they decided to order take out so they wouldn’t have to move an inch away from each other. Now that everything was out in the open, they couldn’t stand the thought of being separate for even a few minutes, so they stayed curled up with one another, talking about everything they had missed. Feeling light and relaxed, staring into each other’s eyes. They only separated when the food arrived, then they laid out the food onto the coffee table and sat on the floor, shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh. Feeding each other, talking some more.   
The night ended up in soft kisses and gentle caresses. They hadn’t moved, just pulled the blanket that was thrown over the sofa and covered their bodies with it. 

They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. Who knew that applied to emotional distance too. 

***   
Epilogue

Baekhyun was confident when he came up with the plan, and he was confident executing it.. he had been confident through it all.. until now.   
He had finished his finals, and he was on his much needed summer break. It was the end of June and the sun was shining high and bright. The streets were busy, everyone out enjoying the sun and the holiday. Unfortunately, Baekhyun’s boyfriend didn’t really get a summer holiday. Though they did plan a vacation at the end of summer, for now Baekhyun was alone during the day. He was okay with it though, because Chanyeol always came home and they had wonderful evenings together. Sometimes they would just stay in and watch a movie, usually when Chanyeol would be too tired to go out. Other times though, they would go places, they had both taken a liking to lazy walks around the neighborhood. So they would walk in the lovely summer breeze, hand in hand, enjoying the air and each other’s presence. Sometimes they would park their car at a distance and walk into town, where the streets are busier, they would stop by a restaurant when they got hungry and spend hours there, before walking back. It was always relaxing, lazy, and even when they were in the middle of a large crowd, they felt like they were in their own world.   
Today though, Chanyeol had woken up late and rushed out of the house without breakfast. Baekhyun was worried, he knew Chanyeol was working on a big case lately.. and Chanyeol wasn’t really eating well. With nothing to do, and with his mind occupied with Chanyeol, he decided to make his boyfriend lunch and surprise him at his office. He was excited and he was sure Chanyeol would love it. So he got to work and started cooking the food, he wasn’t especially great.. but Chanyeol loved his cooking.  
Baekhyun was practically skipping down the street that led to Chanyeol's office after he got off the bus, he was excited to see his boyfriends reaction. He was humming a tune and lightly swinging the bag that carried the lunch boxes. Baekhyun came to a halt outside of the office building though, all confidence drained when he really thought about what he was doing. This was Chanyeol's work place. The new private firm Chanyeol got hired in, what if this was too much? What if Chanyeol wouldn’t actually like being put on the spot like this?   
Fuck! Baekhyun thought, brows furrowed.  
What if Chanyeol would get embarrassed.. instead of being happy? Baekhyun stood there for minutes pondering on whether this had been a good idea after all. He looked down at the food in his hand.   
Chanyeollie missed breakfast. He pouted. Baekhyun looked adorable standing on the side of the road, shorts and oversized shirt on, a bucket hat to shield him from the afternoon sun.. pouting. There was only one thing left to do. Baekhyun sighed as he pulled out his phone. 

Chanyeol’s stomach grumbled for the nth time today, he still didn’t take his eyes away from the file in his hands, sighing. It was a good thing he had his own office, otherwise he would’ve distracted his co-workers with his grumbling stomach.   
A knock on his door, brought his attention away from his hunger and his case file,   
“Come in.” He called.  
“Chanyeol-sii.. aren’t you coming for lunch?” It was Sooyoung, another lawyer that worked at his firm, she was beautiful and had been very welcoming when Chanyeol first got hired here. Chanyeol looked down at his watch before shaking his head,   
“I think I want to finish going through this first.” He smiled, motioning to the file in his hand. Sooyoung only smiled and shook her head,   
“Ah, you work too much Chanyeol-sii.” She left after that, gently closing the door behind her. Chanyeol sighed and went back to work, he had a lot to finish. He was trying to make the best of his hours at the office, getting the most work done he could, so he wouldn’t have to take it home. His stomach grumbled again, protesting.   
He misses Baekhyun.   
Chanyeol was startled when his phone buzzed on the table, and he was even more shocked to see Baekhyun’s name on the caller ID. If he knew simply thinking about his boyfriend would get the latter to call him, he would’ve done it hours ago.   
“Hi, baby.” He smiled.   
“Hey, yeol.” Baekhyun started, nervously. And then didn’t say anything. Chanyeol raised his eyebrows.   
“..is everything okay?” He questioned.   
“Mhmm.” Baekhyun hummed. It was silent again, Chanyeol couldn’t help but chuckle.   
“Not that I don’t want to hear your beautiful voice, but why are you calling me, baby?” He heard a huff on the line, followed by unintelligible mumbling.   
“Did you eat, yet?” Baekhyun asked in a small voice, it was almost a whisper. Chanyeol was slightly confused but answered anyway.   
“No, not yet. Have you?” Chanyeol didn’t know why exactly Baekhyun was asking these things, he usually only called when he has a direct question, or when he needs something. Otherwise they text each other.   
“Erm.. no. No I haven’t eaten.” Chanyeol frowned, looking at the time.   
“Why not sweetheart? Did you get up late again? You know when you stay up too late at night it doesn’t just mess with your sleeping schedule. Research says it’s one of the reasons you lose your appetite.. Baekhyun it’s really not-“   
“I’m downstairs.” Baekhyun whispered, cutting off his boyfriends cute rambling.   
“What?” Chanyeol paused. He heard but.. he wasn’t really believing. On the other side, Baekhyun started to panic.  
“I-I’m downstairs..” he trailed. Chanyeol was silent for a while, so he went on, “you missed breakfast.. s-so I made you lunch and I came but I wasn’t sure if I should actually come up.. I shouldn’t have come. I’m sorry-“   
“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol jumped on his feet, closing the stupid file and grinning. “Stay where you are, sweetheart, I’m coming.” Chanyeol hung up, leaving Baekhyun slightly dumbfounded. Is Chanyeol coming to bring him up? Or to take the food and send him home? He didn’t think it was the latter, but he was still confused. He stayed in his place though, waiting for his boyfriend. It didn’t take long before Chanyeol walked out of the double doors, looking around for his boyfriend, he smiled brilliantly when he spotted him, immediately walking towards him. If a stranger looked at him, he’d think Chanyeol was seeing an angel.   
Perhaps he was.   
“Chanyeol-“ Baekhyun was about to apologize the second Chanyeol had reached him, but he was cut off by Chanyeol’s lips on his. The kiss knocked the breath out of him, and he almost stumbled back if it weren’t for his boyfriend’s strong arm around his waist. Baekhyun smiled into the soft kiss. It was nothing more than a gentle, but deep press of lips. A greeting, reassurance. Baekhyun looked up at Chanyeol and bit his lower lip when they pulled away. They were still so close, breathing the same air. Chanyeol dragged his thumb over Baekhyun’s lip, stopping him from biting it.   
“None of that.” He chastised, voice low. Baekhyun raised his brow. “You already look ravishing in my shirt, don’t bite your lips now.” Baekhyun scoffed and playfully shoved Chanyeol away. Chanyeol smirked back handsomely. His boyfriend looked young, in that moment. He shirt only half tucked, his hair a bit of a mess from the day, and his tie swaying in the wind. But he was bright, and smiling. It made warmth blossom in Baekhyun’s heart to see his boyfriend happy and doing well. The new firm was better than the old one, they weren’t particularly big, but they were honest and they had hired Chanyeol for his qualifications and hard work. It was a respectful place and Baekhyun could tell Chanyeol was more comfortable working there compared to his last place. It didn’t mean everything was easy, he still came home exhausted on some days, and there were still times when he worked extra hours. But they were rare, and usually only in extreme situations. Work was work after all.   
Chanyeol took his hand and escorted him into the building. Chanyeol held his hand all the way up to his office, then he made space on the coffee table and helped him unpack the food. “Thank you for this Baekhyun-ah, I was really hungry.” Chanyeol pouted. Baekhyun kissed the pout away. He didn’t know what he was worried about. 

“Let’s eat. We can make out after.” 

*** 

The end.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first complete Chanbaek fic. I’ve been trying to write for years, but I could never complete anything. I had a lot of fun writing this! So I really hope you enjoy it! It’s tags read angst but I promise there’s still fluff in there. 
> 
> Im sorry for any grammar mistakes, or if the whole thing feels a bit rushed, It’s my first real fic. 
> 
> Feedback would be highly appreciated!! I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> you can interact with me on twitter, lets be friends! @bellabaekie


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